Automobile.



PATENTED JULY 9 1907- 0. B. HATFIELD.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 28, 1906.

. UNITED STATES PATENT osrron.

CHARLES B. HATFIELD, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

ASSIGNORv TO HATFIELD MOTOR VEHICLE COMPANY, OF CORTLAND, NEW YORK, ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .rui 'e, 19 07.

Application filed March 26, 1906'. Serial No- 308,044..

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cimsnns B. HATrmLma citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county'of Monroe'and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobiles; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to automobiles or selfpropelled road vehicles and it has for its object to provide means whereby the engine may be cranked so-called, or started from the seat of the vehicle; to-pro- -vide an improved form of friction driving mechanism runabout type embodying the same, parts of the body of the vehicle being broken away to show the interior construction. Fig.2 shows in part elevation and part vertical section my improved crank shaft and oiling device; Fig. 3 shows the cranking device removed.

Similar reference characters will be employed throughout the specification anddrawings to designate corresponding parts. i

In the drawing 1 represents the body of the vehicle,

mounted upon the wheels 2. In the body of the vehicle 1 is disposeda suitable engine 3, which engine may be of any usual or preferred type, that shown bengl the well known type of two cylinder explosive engine. The piston rods A of the engine are connected to the double crank shaft 5, which crank shaft is mounted in the bearing 6 fixed to the floor of the vehicle, and the bearing 7 of a metallic frame S. At its lower end the I crank shaft: 6 carries a friction driving disk 9, which is rotated by the crankshaft and which drives by frictional contact a friction driven wheel 10, the driven wheel 10 beingsplinedfto a shaft 11 mounted trans-' versely of the vehicle in suitable brackets 12,- fastened to the sides of the vehicle and extending downward therefrom, it being understood that there are-two of these brackets12, one on each side of the vehicle.

The shaft'lO carries upon its opposite ends sprocket wheels 13, which are connected by chains-Tito large sprocket wheels 15, secured to the rear driving wheels 2. Only one of the driving connections shown in the drawing, but it will be understood by those skilled'in this art that the driving connection shown and described will be duplicated at the opposite side of the vehicle and connected in like mannerto the opposite driving wheel.

From the foregoing description it'will be apparent that the engine will rotate the crank shaft 5 and thus impart a rotary movement to the driving disk 9 which will in turn rotate the driven wheel 10, and thus rotate the shaft 11 and its connected sprocket wheels 13, which in turn will through the chains Hand large sprocket wheels 15 rotate the driving wheels2 of the vehicle arid propel the vehicle backward or forward, according as may be desired.- In'this' connection it will be understood that the driven wheel 10 willphave the usual means for'imparting to it a longitudinal movement along its shaft 11, so as to change its point of contact with the friction l'face of the drivingdisk 9 either to 'move it to onesid'e or the other of the axis of the driving disk 9, or to place it in contact with the axis, Where will be located preferablya floating center, such as described in my co-pending application, filed March 26, 1906, Serial No. 308,045. Thus the direction of travel of the vehicle may beeither forward or backward, ac-

cording as the driven wheel 10-is to one side or the other of the aiiis of the driving disk 9, or the vehicle may be stopped by moving the driven wheel10 to place it in contact with the floating center of the driving disk 9, Without the necessity of stopping the engine.

It is deemed desirable to call attention at this point to the fact that the rgation in a horizontal plane of the comparatively heavy driving disk 9 will cause the driving disk to act somewhat in the nature of the well. known gyroscope, and that this action'will tend to overcome the shocks and vibrations of the body incident to the travel of the vehicleover uneven roads. v I consider this arrangement to be an importantfeature of my invention.

' For the purpose of starting the engine or to crank it, as it is termed, from the seat of the vehicle, the crank shaft 5 will carry at its upper end a clutch member 16 arranged to co-operate with acorresponding I clutch member 17 at the lower end of the cranking rod 1 8, which at, its upper end carries the usnalcrankarm 19 and handle 20. The crank rod 18 is arranged to be received in a bearing 21permanently mounted at the back of the vehicle seat 22 i i vertical alinement with the crank shaft 5, the arrangement being such that the crank'rod 18 may be fitted in its bearing 21 and the clutch connections 16 and17fitted together; so that the engine may bestarted as before stated from the seat of the vehicle, without the necessity ofthe driver get;

a bore 24 inthe lower end of'the crank rod 18.

For the purpose of lubricating the bearings of the crankshaft and the connections of the piston rods 4 with the cranks, the upper end'oi the crank shaft is preferably made in the form of a cylindrical oil receptacle 25, the upper end of which i's'closed by.a cap 26 which carries the clutch member 16 and the cylindrical pin 23. This oil receptacle will be filled with a,

lubricating oil which will be led therefrom through ports 27 and 28for the purpose of lubricating the bearing 7, and thence by'mean's of ports 29, 30 and 31, to lubricate the connection of one of the piston rods 4 with its crank, and thence by means of ports 32, 33 and 34, for the purpose of lubricating the other crank connection, and thence by means of a port 35, to lubricate the bearing 6, all as clearly shown in 'Fig. 2 of the drawing. i I consider this oiling arrangement to be an important feature of my invention.

It will of course be understood that the vehicle will be provided with some suitable 'form of steering mechanisrn. 36, for steering the forward wheels 2 and with a suitable connection such as a vertical shaft 37 and wheel 38, whereby the-steering mechanism may be operated from the seat of the vehicle.

The large sprocket wheel 15 is made in the form of a ring and is held to the spokes oi therear. wheels by between each pair of spokes, asclearlyshown in Fig. i

1 of the drawing.

Having described my invention I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of 'the United Statesz l 1. ln self propelledvehicles the combination" with a suitable engine, of a vertically disposed crank shaft con nected with the engine, a vertically disposed bearing. in the vehiclein verticalelinement with the crank shaft, a movable cranking rod arranged to be received in and to turn in the bearing, and suitable clutch connections between the cranking rod and the crankshaft whereby the engine may be started from the body of the vehicle, sub: stantially as described, p

2. In self propelled vehicles, the combination with a sultable engine, of a vertically disposed crank shaft driven by the engine, said shaft carrying a vertically disposed oil receptacle, and suitable ports leading froni' the pit-receptacle to the bearings for the crank shaft and the crank and piston rod connections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature ln presence of two witnesses.

'1. HAn'r'ANnnnson, MAY A. Ksmmr. 

